Derek Thompson peers into the mysterious numbers surrounding House of Cards. Based on number of viewers, and compared to the biggest shows on cable or broadcast TV, is it really a hit? [The Atlantic]

Tim Wu looks at how technology helps simplify our lives, and asks a perplexing, but important question: is there a point when using technology becomes too easy? [The New Yorker]

The folks at Dolby explain how seven of the most iconic sound effects in cinema were made, including the Star Wars lightsaber sound and Bane's voice in The Dark Night Rises. [Dolby official blog]

Lee Hutchinson tells the gut-wrenching story of the theoretical outer space rescue missions devised by the NASA investigation panel after the space shuttle Columbia disaster. The plans were meant to quantify the likelihood that the Columbia crew could have survived the mission, but as Hutchinson says, if enacted, it could have been NASA's finest hour. [Ars Technica]

Emma Green looks at the strangely cliched world of stock photography. [The Atlantic]

David Peisner gives an oral history of the first 20 years of SXSW. [FastCo]

Raffi Khatchadourian talks about the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, a highly controversial power generator that might potentially provide low-emissions electricity to the world by harnessing the reactions responsible for creating stars. [The New Yorker]

Jennifer Bogo gives an exclusive inside look at how Google Street View managed to give the internet world a close-up look at polar bears migrating across the tundra. [PopSci]